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Family doctor – a fulfilling and varied profession that anyone can train for if they have the passion for it. However, being a GP is not an easy job. It takes a lot of dedication and in reality, working as a general practitioner can be one of the most exciting and challenging in all of medicine. It is not for nothing that general medicine is considered the “supreme discipline” among medical specialties due to the diverse requirements and the particularly close patient-doctor relationship.
The family doctor often accompanies their patients from cradle to grave and is the first medical contact for all health problems. They are responsible for the basic, emergency, acute and long-term care of their patients with physical and/or mental health disorders. Prevention and rehabilitation are also part of the general practitioner’s duties also. Like no other specialist doctor, they have the opportunity to acquire additional qualifications. Depending on the inclination, the family doctor can specialize in areas such as sports medicine, addiction medicine, general medicine or acupuncture. In addition, they are responsible for caring for the patient in their social environment as well as general health advice. The family doctor is also a coordinator and integrator that works with you to ensure you are getting the best help for your issues. They refer patients to specialists, bring together different levels of care, coordinates, evaluates and documents patient information and offers assistance and advice in (almost) all situations. So it really is more than a job, it is a vocation. In order to find open jobs for family doctors, you will not have to look far. These jobs are plentiful but they take a special kind of person to undertake them of course.
Self-employed or part of a team?
If you want to work in a family doctor’s practice, you don’t necessarily have to start your own business. As an employed doctor of a GP surgery, you get a fixed salary, have regular working hours, continue to receive wages in the event of illness and are confronted with significantly less bureaucracy. Some GPs do become independent family doctors but again this is worth looking into as it may come with additional risks.
Knowledge of the human body
If you want to become a doctor, you will learn to deal with and understand all the functions of the human body. The human body is a mystery and continues to be a miracle in many ways. You understand the connections and those who are really interested can make a difference. Practical lessons provide variety which you can adopt to many other areas of your life. Although many people think that medicine is very dry and purely a study subject, this is only partly true. Medical students also learn a lot of practice-oriented skills. This makes it easier for them to deal with patients and already offer certain treatments. Of course, the practical elements that you learn, really allow any budding doctor to create a successful career in medicine.
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